Reece Topley

A tall, lanky left-arm pacer who has spent more time off the field than on it, Reece Topley grabbed the headlines at a very young age with his immaculate bowling. He has played for England in One-Day and Twenty20 cricket, but injuries have not allowed him to keep going for a long period of time.

Topley, at 6ft 7in, started his career with Essex like his father - Donald Topley. He picked up 14 wickets in his first three four-day games, including five wicket hauls against Middlesex and Kent. The youngster was then picked for the 2012 Under 19 World Cup in Australia and he returned as the highest wicket-taker - 19 wickets at an average of around 9.

The growing nature of his career earned him a place in the England Lions squad for the tour of Australia and when he picked 80 wickets across all formats for Essex in the 2013 season, Topley was included in England's Performance Programme, but the first injury struck during this time and he missed the tour to Sri Lanka.

Once fully fit and back in rhythm, Topley was selected for the England ODI and T20 squad against Australia in 2015. He made his debut in Manchester and only in his second game with Pakistan, he picked up 3 for 26. In his first full series in South Africa, Topley ended with 10 wickets in five games, but that was the last of his England games.

During this time, Essex could not afford the injury-prone bowler and he too wanted more recognition which he was not getting at the county side. Both parted ways and he signed with Hampshire, who were a consistent side in the shorter formats of the game.

However, another mishap at the start of the 2016 season ruled him out of the year - a bone in his right hand was broken by a Boyd Rankin bouncer while playing against Warwickshire. The next year it was a back stress fracture which limited his appearances for Hampshire as he bowled only 112 overs across the three formats.

At 24, questions were being asked about his fragile body and whether he would continue playing. Topley, however, battled through them and was picked for the Lions squad for the tri-series involving India A and Windies A. He picked up 8 wickets in the series on his way back to where he belonged, but another back problem curtailed his season.

In October 2018, Reece Topley left Hampshire after the club and the player agreed to part company. During the 2018-19 winter, Sussex took a punt on him. Having been allowed to train and recover at Hove, he progressed well and picked up 17 wickets in their T20 campaign. Sussex were keen to tie him to a new contract but Surrey gazumped them to get his services. Surrey became Topleys’ fourth county when he signed at the end of the season. In 2020, Topley was recalled into England’s ODI squad for a 3-match ODI series against Ireland and featured in an ODI match after more than 4 years.

In 2022, Topley showcased his skills in both white ball formats at the international level. He recorded the best ODI figures for an Englishman with 6/34 against India at Lord’s. Another injury mishap came just before the T20 World Cup that year. He stepped on a boundary sponge during a fielding drill before England’s final warm-up match. As a consequence, he rolled his left ankle and his ligaments ruptured. Eventually, he was ruled out of the marquee event.

Topley got picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 2023 IPL auctions for INR 1.9 Crore. He made his debut against Mumbai Indians. However, he dislocated his left shoulder while fielding in that match and was ruled out of the rest of the season.

Topley made it to England’s ODI 2023 World Cup squad. A last-minute injury meant that he missed out a shot at last year’s T20 World Cup but this time around, he made it through the ODI World Cup warm-up games unscathed,